BURLINGTON — A 37-year-old Barre man is facing up to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a charge he defrauded two Central Vermont car dealerships of hundreds of thousands of dollars by not paying them for used cars they had taken in trade.

Federal prosecutors said Kevin Dunn acted as an automobile wholesaler for Lowery Auto Sales and Town and Country Honda, car dealerships. Dunn took possession of used vehicles which the dealerships had acquired in trade from retail customers, then sold the vehicles on behalf of the dealerships.

In 2011 Dunn pocked the proceeds from those sales worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of wire fraud. Sentencing is set for Aug. 20.